Leo's responsibility
by Sweetheart91597
Summary: Leo is the oldest. So he's in charge. So he has got to carry the responsibility for whatever happens to either him or his brothers. But how much longer can he carry this burden on his own? I do not own TMNT Thanks for all the support :D Any ideas for a one-shot are welcome via reviews or PM :)
1. What have we done?

Leo's POV

It wasn't my fault! I swear, I had nothing to do with any of it! Okay, maybe a small part of it was my fault, but not everything…  
Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. I should start telling this story from the beginning…

It was a normal evening at the lair.  
The four of us had just returned from our evening patrol and, as usual, we had been fighting some purple dragons. Not much of a challenge.  
But then, because of Raph's temper, they almost captured us. He got so angry at a guy who was calling him names (that I won't even repeat in front of Mikey) that he started yelling and throwing stuff. Because of the noise he made, somebody had called the police.  
If it hadn't been for Donnie's quick thinking, we would have been all over the news now.  
Luckily, he had managed to get all of us out of there in time.

Once we were home again, I told (okay, maybe I yelled) Raph that he should learn to control his temper. And soon, we were (once again) involved in one of our famous fights, as usual.  
Most of the time Donnie and Mikey don't interfere. They just leave the room or stand there watching us.  
But not this time.  
Now, Mikey jumped between me and Raph before we were even physically fighting. This stopped both me and Raph.  
Also Donnie was looking at Mikey with something pretty close to admiration in his eyes.

Mikey was angry with us.  
This is very unusual. Mikey is always happy, goofing around and trying to keep everyone happy. But he can get angry. It doesn't happen a lot, but it's possible.  
And when he gets angry… let's just say you don't want to be around when that happens.  
He yelled at us like he hadn't done in a very long time.  
"Why are you guys always doing this to us?!", he yelled "Don't you care about Don and me at all?! All you care about is your fights and your arguments! But how we feel about it doesn't matter!"  
By this time, Donnie had run up to him and tried his best to pull Mikey to his lab, probably to try to calm him down.  
But no success.  
"I bet that if one of us disappeared, you wouldn't even notice!", Mikey continued.  
Now, Donnie finally managed to pull Mikey to his lab.

When they were gone, me and Raph just stood there. When I looked at Raph, I saw he was thinking the exact same thing as me: _What have we done?_

We stayed in the living room and tried to work our argument out with words and with as little yelling as possible.  
Together, we had decided that Mikey had been right: our fights didn't do our brothers any good.  
We sat there for about three hours, trying to work everything out.  
It worked out surprisingly well, actually.

Suddenly, Donnie ran into the room: "Guys! Is Mikey here? Please tell me he's here with you guys!"  
I looked at Raph with a confused look: "Have you seen Mikey?" Raph shook his head and looked at Donnie: "Why? Do you need him?"  
"Oh boy, oh boy…", Donnie started to pace now (never a good sign!) "He's not in his room, not in the kitchen, not in the dojo, not in my lab and not here… Oh boy, this is bad!"  
"Calm down, dude!", Raph said as he stood up from the couch "Maybe he's just gone for a walk or skateboarding to lose some energy"

This made Donnie stop walking. He turned to Raph with a furious look: "I can't believe this! I knew that Mikey was right, but I didn't know he was THIS accurate!"  
By now, both me and Raph stood across Donnie and looked at him. "Donnie! Calm down and tell me what you mean", I said.  
Donnie took a deep breath and then continued: "Don't you remember what he said before I pulled him into my lab? He said, and I quote: I bet that if one of us disappeared, you wouldn't even notice. In my lab, he repeated that another time. And now, three hours later he's gone! His nun chucks and T-phone are gone!"

I gulped: "So you mean…"  
"Exactly", Donnie nodded "Mikey ran away to prove his point"  
Raph sighed: "Genius, here's a hint. You said his T-phone was gone? Call him then and ask where he is!" Don turned to face Raph and face-palmed: "Do you really think I hadn't thought of that before?! Of course I called him when I couldn't find him! His phone rang, but he didn't pick up. I tried tracing the signal, but the computer is still working on that"

"I've got an idea where he might be", Raph said "I'll go check there. You guys stay here to trace the signal. If he gets home while I'm away, call me!" And Raph ran off as well.

Me and Donnie went to his lab to wait for the results.  
And as the computer was loading the coordinates, all my thoughts were with Mikey.  
_What have I done?!_

__**Author's note: Hi! :) Finally, the long awaited Leo-story! :D  
Sorry, didn't really have inspiration… But today, I suddenly had! Reviews are more than welcome! :D **


	2. Talks and thoughts

Raph's POV

_I would never admit it, but… Mikey was right. When Leo and I fight, we don't notice anything that's happening around us. That's pretty bad, considering we're trained ninja's! The lair could be on fire and we would just continue arguing! Or, to follow Mikey's example, one of our younger brothers could just vanish and we wouldn't notice.  
Man, I can't believe that Mikey really did that! Just to prove his point!  
Now, I just hope that I'm right about where Mikey is… _

By now, I had reached a rooftop with a clear view on Central park. I looked around and hoped to see my baby brother sitting on a roof somewhere. Some time ago, he told me that if he really needed to clear his mind, he would come to this neighborhood and just sit and watch the city.  
Sometimes for just a minute, other times for hours on end.  
I had pretended that I wasn't listening and that I was to focused to pummeling the punching bag. But I had been listening. I just hadn't showed.

I sighed and smiled when I saw a small green shape sitting on the edge of a roof close to where I was standing. I reached it in no time.  
Before I even had the chance to open my mouth, Mikey spoke up without even turning around: "What are you doing here, Raph?"  
At first, I was a little surprised that he had known it was me. But then I smiled. He had loads of talent. He just didn't do anything with it. And still he had the time to goof around and make jokes during a fight.  
I walked up to him and sat down next to him: "What does it look like I'm doing here? I'm learning to dance the tango, duh!" I saw Mikey smile a little, but he hid it quickly.

There was an awkward silence between us.  
Then, I said what had been on my mind since Donnie had run into the room: "We're sorry, Mikey. About everything"  
Mikey shrugged: "It's ok."  
"No, it's not ok! You were right and both me and Leo should have known what our fighting did to both you and Donnie. Leo feels awful about the entire situation!"  
"Only Leo?", Mikey teased. I took a deep breath and tried my best to stay calm: "Both of us feel awful. Ok now?"  
Mikey nodded and smiled. And just by seeing that, I couldn't help but smile as well.  
I stood up and pulled him in a headlock. The two of us were just having fun and laughing when I got a message. I let Mikey go and took my T-phone.  
'Traced Mike's T-phone, seen he's with you. Everything all right? Leo'  
I showed the message to Mikey. Then, I answered we were fine and coming home soon.  
"Why didn't you pick up your phone when Don called you?", I asked.  
"I don't know", Mikey said as he looked at the ground "I just wanted to be alone for a while. I needed some time for myself"

"To do what?", I asked. I was a curious guy.  
Now, Mikey started blushing: "Well… remember the notepad Don gave me for Christmas?" I simply nodded. He reached in the back of his belt and pulled it out. On the cover was his name in big orange letters.  
When he opened it, my mouth fell open. The pages were filled with colorful drawings of all of us. And they were amazing! You could really see our personality's in the picture.  
But clearly Mikey took my silence the wrong way.

"I know they suck", he said as he closed the notepad "but it just helps to calm my mind"  
"No, no!", I quickly interfered "They're wonderful! I mean, look at them!" I took the book and opened it on the first page.  
A drawing of me and Leo in the living room.  
"Look at Leo here", I continued "You can see he's bossy in the way he holds his hand and looks at me. But you can also see he cares because of the loving smile. And you can even see my bad temper in my face, but also that I care about you guys in the way I hold myself."  
I looked at Mikey, who was completely absorbed in his own drawings. It was like he had never seen them before.  
On the next page were Donnie and Mikey, Don sitting at his computer and Mikey behind him with his arms on his shoulders.  
"Here, see how focused Don is on his work? And see your smile and the joy in your eyes! But even though Don's concentrating on whatever he's doing, he still looks at you and smiles…"

I took a deep breath and looked at Mikey, who gave me the same look back: "You guys are everything to us. If anything would ever happen to one of you…" I couldn't even finish the sentence. I didn't even want to think about it.  
I gave Mikey his book back and patted his shell: "You're an excellent artist and a great guy. And don't let anyone ever tell you something else. Promise?"  
Mikey nodded: "Promise"

"Come on", I said "let's go home. I bet Don and Leo still want to lecture you about leaving the house without telling them"  
Mikey gulped: "Oh boy… didn't think of that"  
"I'll help you out", I said with a wink "Come on, last one in the lair is a knucklehead!"  
We ran off, laughing and having fun. But mostly, preparing for what would wait for us at home…

**Author's note: And here I was, thinking this would be a short chapter…  
Anyway, thanks for reading! :D I'm still open to suggestions, questions, reviews,… **

**You know how to reach me ;) **


	3. Getting home

**Author's note: A very special thanks to **_**Gorillaz Latin fan**_** for the idea! :D **

In the sewers

Nobody's POV

Mikey and Raph were racing home. Raph was a little in front of Mikey and determined to win. But he wasn't running at his full capacity. Because, even though he would never admit it, he still felt bad about him and Leo fighting and making Mikey so angry.  
Raph looked over his shoulder to see if Mikey was still okay.  
"Watch out!", Mikey yelled suddenly. Raph looked surprised, but noticed immediately what Mikey was talking about.  
Before he even had had the chance to turn his head around, he felt himself tripping over something and falling on the ground.

For a moment, it felt like the world was spinning around him. Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder turning him around. Then, a voice: "…Raph!... Come on, man!"  
He opened his eyes and looked straight in Mikey's concerned face. Mikey noticed Raph was fine and sighed: "Would you stop scaring me like that!" Raph grinned, then he thought of something: "What was the thing I fell over?" Mikey looked behind him: "You don't wanna know... A loose tile"  
Raph put his hands over his eyes: "Oh…my… Serious?! Something that stupid?"  
Mikey nodded but smiled. He stood up and offered Raph his hand. Raph took it and pulled himself to his feet.

When he stood, he looked at his left knee. It was bleeding a little bit and it looked like there was dirt in it.  
"I should have Donnie take a look at it…", Raph said "Wait a minute… I've got an idea!"  
"Never a good thing!", Mikey said. Raph rolled his eyes, but continued: "I know how I can save you some trouble! Just play along and do what I tell you to do. Deal?"  
Mikey nodded, happy enough that he wouldn't get in a lot of trouble.  
They continued their walk at a much slower pace.

When they had almost reached the lair, Raph stopped walking. "Listen, this is what we're gonna do", he said "I'm going to lean on you and pretend that I'm hurt, okay? I'll tell them I got hurt by protecting you from some Purple dragons who tried to attack you from the back. Ok?" Mikey nodded to show he understood: "But how will that save me a lecture? All I think it will save is your ego"  
Raph let the insult go, but continued his explanation: "If they're too busy about being angry with me for 'rushing into action without thinking', they won't even remember that they were supposed to be angry with you."

Mikey smile grew with every passing second: "You are willing to take lectures from both Don and Leo, just to help me out? For my own stupid action?" Raph shrugged his shoulders in response, but winked.  
Mikey flung his arms around Raph's neck: "You're the best!" Raph put his hands on his little brother's shell: "And don't you dare to tell the others about anything that happened today! Otherwise I swear, I'll hide your comic book collection somewhere where you'll never be able to find them again!"  
Mikey pulled back and nodded. He knew that Raph only said that and didn't mean a word of it, but he played along.

"Let's do this!", Raph said. Mikey pulled Raph arm over his shoulder and 'supported' for the little walk home. "I hope this will work…", Mikey said.

**Author's note: Hi! Sorry for late updates! :(  
I know this chapter is terribly short, but the next part will be on by Sunday. Promise! :) Thanks for everyone who has been supporting me! **


	4. Silence is never good

At home

Nobody's POV

Donnie was sitting on the couch watching Leo pace through the living room. He had started right after Raph had left to find Mikey, now about an hour ago.  
And Donnie had sat there watching Leo pace the entire time, because he knew he couldn't concentrate on anything else until his youngest brother was back at home.

"Leo!", Donnie suddenly said "Would you stop that, please?! Now I know why you guys always get so irritated when I start pacing…"  
Leo stopped and walked over to the punching bag. First, he just put his right hand on it. Then, he gave it a forceful kick which made it almost break.  
Don stood up and walked up to Leo: "It's okay to be worried, Leo. But try to stay calm…"  
Leo turned around and faced Donnie: "Calm? I'm always calm! If I was any calmer right now I would be asleep!"  
"Right", Donnie replied "that's why you just yelled at me about how calm you were… Yea, that makes sense…" The sarcasm was almost dripping from Donnie's voice.  
Leo sighed: "I'm sorry, Don. It's just that I'm worried that something bad happened to Mikey. And if it did, I will be the one responsible for it. I would never forgive myself if any of you were hurt or…"

Donnie lead Leo over to the kitchen and put on some water to make him a cup of tea. At the same time, he poured in a cup of coffee for himself.  
When the tea was ready, he put it in front of Leo and sat on the opposite side of the table.  
"And now", Donnie said "what's really bothering you? Mikey has run away so many times and you never were so worried… Is this really about Mikey?"  
Leo hesitated, but then shook his head: "No. I just feel bad about me and Raph fighting so often. I know we're both responsible for this, but still… I'm the oldest, so I should be above this."

Donnie gave Leo a sad smile: "We don't ask you to stand above an argument. The only thing we want is that you try to solve your little disagreements with words and not with weapons."  
Leo looked into his cup of tea: "I'm sorry we didn't notice how our fights influenced you and Mikey. Neither of us wanted to hurt you guys. In any possible way."  
Now, Don stood up and walked over to Leo: "We know that you're only trying to protect us. And we're happy that you care so much. But sometimes you just seem to forget we're ninja's to. We can defend ourselves."

Leo nodded: "I know. But still… I think it's just instinct." "Probably", Donnie agreed.  
One moment Leo was all worried and depressed, the next he felt the thin, yet muscular, arms of his purple brother around his neck. All Leo could do was smile and put his hand on Don's arm.  
"They'll be fine.", Donnie said "Raph would never let anything happen to Mikey, you know that. I trust him… in the same way I trust you"  
"Thanks, Don", Leo said with the smile still on his face.

Then, they heard a sound coming from the entrance of the lair. But it wasn't the usual laughter and noise when Mikey and Raph returned from a trip topside.  
This sound was barely there. The only thing they could hear was the sound of their footsteps on the concrete. One pair of regular, though heave footsteps. And the other… shuffling.  
Leo's eyes widened as he looked at Don. Donnie wore the same expression.

Together they ran out of the kitchen. By the time they both had reached the living room, they looked at the entrance with fear in their hearts.  
Without saying anything out loud, they knew they were thinking the same thing: _Silence is never good! _

__**Author's note: Hi! Update on Sunday, as promised! :) I know, I left the cliffhanger and it's another short story… But you know me ;)  
Anyway, Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing! Also, check the poll on my profile to vote for what kind of story you want me to make next. You can also put your ideas in a PM or a review if you want :) **


	5. Together once again

Nobody's POV

Leo and Donnie were standing in the middle of their living room, watching the entrance to their home. The sound of shuffling footsteps grew louder and louder.  
Finally, they saw their brothers. But they weren't happy with what they saw.  
Raph was leaning on Mikey for support. He wasn't even looking angry, he just looked at the ground.  
Mikey's face was completely blank, not a single emotion visible. This was even more scary than Raph's face.  
Raph's left knee was bleeding, but it didn't look very serious. But still, if he was leaning on Mikey… it was bad. He barely ever asked for help.  
Both of them stopped once they had entered the lair. They just stood there watching the other two.

Finally, Donnie moved. He ran up to Raph: "What happened?"  
"I found Mikey", Raph explained "We had been talking a little and we decided to come back. Then I answered your message, Leo. While I was typing, Mikey had already continued walking. When I had sent the message and wanted to follow Mikey I saw some Purple Dragons who wanted to attack Mikey from behind. So I attacked them first. It wasn't a very hard fight. Mikey barely even had to do something. Then, I got hurt a little and needed Mikey to help me get back home"  
Donnie looked thoughtful for a moment, but nodded. He pulled Raph's other arm over his shoulder: "Let's get you patched up". And the two of them walked over to Don's lab.

This left Mikey and Leo.  
Mikey looked at the ground. He hadn't moved since he had arrived.  
Leo sighed and sat down on the couch and motioned for Mikey to join him. Hesitantly, Mikey walked over and sat down next to his brother. They were quiet for a moment.  
Then, Leo spoke up: "I'm sorry, Mikey. I know Raph already apologized about the current situation. But still,… I'm the oldest. I carry the responsibility. If anything happens to one of us, it's my fault. Even I wasn't even around, like when Raph rushed into that fight with some Dragons."  
Mikey suppressed a grin. _Keep it together dude!, _he thought.  
"He'll still get a lecture about that, by the way", Leo continued "but… he only did it to keep you safe. That's all we want… what I want. Can you forgive me?"  
Mikey looked at Leo and saw the sorrow in his eyes. "You really feel that awful about this?", Mikey asked. He almost started to feel guilty himself for having caused this.  
Leo nodded. Mikey sighed and smiled: "Of course I can, dude! You know I can't stay mad for a long time!"  
Now Leo smiled as well: "Thanks"  
Mikey put his arm around Leo's shoulders and pulled him closer. After about a minute, Leo spoke up again: "Want to join the others in the infirmary?"  
Mikey nodded and stood up. And together, they walked up to Donnie's lab.

In the meanwhile in the lab

Donnie had cleaned and bandaged Raph's knee. When he had put his first aid kit away, he sat down on a chair next to Raph. First, it was quiet.  
Then, Donnie broke that silence: "You just fell in the sewers and decided to help Mikey out, isn't it?"  
Raph's eyes almost fell out of his head: "How…"  
Donnie laughed at seeing this: "I've been patching you guys up for more than ten years now. I know how a graze filled with dirt from the sewers looks. And you wanting to protect Mikey… it was kind of obvious. You would do anything to keep me or Mikey out of trouble. Even if it means you getting in a mess."  
Raph smiled slightly: "Busted… Are you gonna tell Splinter and Leo?"  
Don shook his head: "Nah. Normally, I would. But this is just too cute. Plus I think we had enough commotion for one day"  
Raph nodded: "Thanks, man" Donnie smiled and winked: "Anytime"

At that moment, Leo and Mikey walked in.  
"It's nice to be together once again", Leo said.  
Mikey nodded: "Yes. Yes, it is!"

**Author's note: And that's the end of this chapter! :) Sorry for another late update. I've been a little busy lately.  
But I still wanted to thank everybody for reading and reviewing! I never could have thought that so many people would read my stories. :D  
**


	6. Trust

The next morning

Nobody's POV

As usually, Leo was the first one to wake up. He walked to the rooms of his brothers to check up on them, like he did every morning.  
Raph was lying on his back with his left arm dangling out of his bed. Leo smiled at the sight of this. Although he and Raph fought a lot, they still were the best friends.  
Mikey was sleeping on his plastron with his arms under his head. His blanket had fallen on the ground during the night, probably because he couldn't keep still. Not even when sleeping. Even though Mikey could be extremely annoying sometimes, nobody could stay mad at the youngest one for long.  
Leo wasn't even surprised to find Donnie's room empty. It happened quite often that the genius had fallen asleep in his lab or even had worked the entire night because he couldn't sleep without getting his idea worked out. But even Don's lab was empty. Now Leo frowned. _ Where could he be?_, he wondered.

But when he walked down, he saw light coming from the kitchen.  
Donnie sat at the kitchen table with his laptop and a cup of black coffee in front of him, typing. He didn't even look up from his work when his brother walked in.  
"Good morning, Donnie", Leo said. Donnie grunted to show he had heard him. Nothing unusual, there wasn't much to do with Don before he finished his first cup of coffee.  
And since it was only half empty, this was perfectly normal.  
"Have you eaten already?", Leo asked. "Not hungry", Donnie replied.  
Leo sighed. _Why do we have to go over this every single morning?!  
_"You know you need to eat a healthy breakfast in order to have enough energy for the rest of the day", Leo explained.  
Now Donnie sighed and looked at his older brother: "I'm not a baby, Leo. I know what I should do. You don't have to feed me, I can take care of myself."  
"Yeah, but-", Leo started, but he didn't get to finish his sentence.  
"No but!", Donnie interrupted "Either you trust me, or either you don't. I want an answer right now. Do you trust me to take care of myself or not?"

"I'm curious as well", Raph said as he walked into the kitchen. He had woken up from hearing the talking in the kitchen and had just heard what was said.  
"That's not what this is about, Raph!", Leo said "This is about me wanting the best for Don. For all of you by the way."  
"We know that, Leo", Donnie explained "But you have to try to understand that we can take care of ourselves. We don't need you to worry about us. We're almost as old as you are! We are trained ninja's!"  
"But I'm your big brother!", Leo interfered "and it's my responsibility to take care of you guys. If I can't even make sure that you eat well, how am I supposed to, for example, protect Mikey when he almost gets killed in a fight? I barely managed to do that last time! So what if I can't do that the next time?"

"What?". The three turtles turned around to see a very scared looking Mikey standing in the doorway. "I almost got killed?!"  
"No, of course not Mikey!", Leo quickly said.  
"But you just said that!", Mikey said "Do you really have to protect me THAT often?"

Raph looked at Leo with a look that said: _are you really going to lie to him?  
_Donnie sighed and stood up from his chair: "Mikey, come here."  
"I don't like it when you say that!", Mikey said. Reluctantly, he walked over to the chair Donnie was offering him.  
Leo opened his mouth to start talking, but Donnie cut him off: "Let me handle this, Leo".  
Then, he kneeled in front of Mikey: "Listen to me. You are a great ninja and an amazing athlete! You have a huge amount of energy and I don't think you will ever run out. In a fight, you're almost as fast as lighting! And everyone can see that you're having a wonderful time! And it's great for us to see that. But sometimes, it happens that you're so into the fight that you seem to forget what is happening around you. And in those very few cases, we jump in and protect you, yes. Of course, we could just yell at you to turn around. But then, the moment would be ruined for you. And we would never want to do that. Do you understand?"

While Mikey thought about what he just heard, Donnie looked at Raph and Leo who were leaning against the counter. Raph grinned and winked. Leo mouthed 'thanks'.  
Everybody knew Donnie was the best with words, so he got the hard tasks.  
Finally ,Mikey smiled and hugged Donnie: "I believe you!"  
Donnie hugged back: "Good. Now, can you please go to my lab and get me the red book from my desk?"  
Mikey nodded and ran off.

Then, Don turned back to Leo: "Now we've settles that… I'm still waiting for your answer. Do you trust me to take care of myself or not?"  
Leo gulped and looked at Raph, but he wasn't about to give him any support.  
Leo looked at the floor as he answered…

**Author's note: Cliffhanger! Sorry, couldn't help it! It was SO tempting! :D I know, late update. But just loads of homework!  
No update for the rest of the week (I'm going to Paris for two days! :D) I'll try to update as soon as possible **


	7. Fights (?)

Then, Don turned back to Leo: "Now we've settles that… I'm still waiting for your answer. Do you trust me to take care of myself or not?"  
Leo gulped and looked at Raph, but he wasn't about to give him any support.  
Leo looked at the floor as he answered: "In all honesty… No. Not if it's about your own health."  
Don shook his head and sighed: "You know, even though I expected this… It still hurts."

"But if it comes down to fighting, I do trust you!", Leo defended himself "as long as you're not Raph or Mikey I trust you to take on any opponent by yourself."  
"What do you mean by that?!", Raph said. He had been standing right next to Leo all the time, but it seemed like Leo had forgotten about that.  
Leo turned to Raph as he answered: "I don't mean that you will be defeated! I just think that if there's nobody with you, you will keep looking for danger and you'll become so exhausted that eventually, you will get yourself into major trouble."

The look Raph gave Leo made Leo gulp. _This won't end well!_, he thought.  
But instead of hitting Leo, Raph simply turned his back and walked out of the kitchen.  
Mikey returned to the kitchen carrying Don's book: "What's up with Raph?"  
Donnie looked at Mikey and shook his head: "Never mind him."  
Mikey first looked at Donnie and then at Leo: "What did I miss?"  
"Let's just say", Don answered "Leo just said some things he should have said years ago. Is there also something you want to say to Mikey?"

Leo looked at Mikey: "No… I trust him. I just don't want anything to happen to him! That's the only reason I'm so protective over him!"  
"It's annoying!", Mikey answered "But it's sweet."  
Leo gave him a little smile: "Thanks"

"I'll be in my lab", Don said "unless you don't think I'm capable to do that either?"  
"Donnie, please! Don't be like that!", Leo pleaded "You know I care about you guys!"  
"Yes, I know", Donnie replied "But you just care a little too much. You care so much that you are taking away all of our freedom so you can control us completely. Newsflash, Leo! We're fifteen, almost sixteen even. Let us go!"

After that, Donnie ran to his lab. Leo sat down on the chair and put his head in his hands.  
"Do you want me to go talk to Raph?", Mikey asked. Leo smiled at Mikey: "Thanks, bro"  
Mikey winked and walked to Raph's room.

_The chance he'll even open the door are extremely small… But you never know_, Mikey thought.  
He knocked on the door, but he got no response at all.  
He tried again. Nothing.  
"Raph?", Mikey asked "It's Mikey. I'm alone. Would you please open the door?"  
Nothing. But just as Mikey wanted to turn around, he heard some movement in the room.  
And then, Raph opened the door.

"What do you want?", he asked. "I want to talk with you", Mikey replied with his best puppy-eyes.  
Raph glared at Mikey: "Why?" In reply, Mikey just pulled his shoulders up.  
Then, Raph sighed and opened his door completely: "Fine."  
Mikey's eyes grew big. Almost nobody entered Raph's room. Not since Spike…  
Mikey walked inside and waited for Raph to close the door again.  
"You cleaned your room", Mikey noticed. "So?", Raph replied as he sat down on his bed.  
Mikey and Raph were very different, but they had a couple things in common. And one of those things was cleaning your feelings away. So when their room was clean… they were dealing with their emotions.

Mikey sat down next to Raph: "So… How are you doing today?"  
"Get to the point, Mike. I'm not in the mood for small talk!"  
"Okay then… Leo's feeling bad about what happened in the kitchen. He didn't want to start a family fight. He just cares about us and wants the best for us. And maybe Donnie was right, he cares a little too much. But what do you prefer? A brother who cares too much or a brother who doesn't care at all?"  
Raph just sat there listening to what his baby brother was saying, staring blankly at the wall.  
When Mikey was ready, Raph smiled and looked at Mikey: "You know, you really surprise me sometimes."  
Now Mikey smiled as well: "So will you come with me to Don's lab to convince him as well?"  
Raph hesitated for a moment, but agreed.  
Just as Mikey wanted to stand up, he felt a hand on his arm.  
When he looked at Raph, he saw him smiling: "Thanks Mike".  
Mikey smiled and hugged his tougher brother. But instead of shoving him away, Raph hugged back.

Before Raph opened his door, he turned to face Mikey: "If you ever tell anybody else about this…"  
"I know, I know", Mikey said "I won't live to see another day"  
Raph grinned and nodded: "Exactly meathead! Now let's go get the brainiac out of his lab!"

**Author's note: Hi! Sorry for a late and rather bad chapter :( But I promised an update, so here it is. This will be the shortest story of all.  
After this, I was thinking to write (a) oneshot(s).  
Any suggestions are welcome! :D And for this story as well, of course!  
Thanks for staying with me, even through the long periods of no updates :) **


	8. Talking

When Mikey and Raph arrived at Donnie's lab, the door was locked. At first, Raph wanted to smash it, but Mikey stopped him.  
"Let me try this first", he said. Raph nodded and Mikey knocked at the door.  
"Donnie?", he asked "are you in there?" No response.  
Raph sighed: "Great. Now, we've got to deal with a moping brainiac! Just open up, dude! We wanna talk!" After saying (read: yelling) this, he walked up to the door and smashed his fists against it.

Finally, they heard the door unlock. But it stayed closed. When Mikey pushed the door, it opened immediately. "Donnie?", Mikey asked once he had entered the lab.  
"Watch out where you step, Mikey. You never know what our genius has been doing in here…", Raph warned.  
It didn't take them very long to find Donnie. He was sitting at his desk, leaning over his notebook.  
"Don?", Mikey asked "are you okay?". Donnie didn't answer, he just leaned a little further over his notes.  
"I'll take that as a no", Mikey said with a hint of amusement in his voice.  
Raph put his hand on Mikey's shoulder and pulled him over to where Donnie was sitting.

"Dude, what's the matter? You know Leo doesn't mean it that bad!", Raph said "So why are you taking this so hard?"  
Donnie just sighed and pulled his shoulders up.  
"Yea, come on Don!", Mikey said "Raph's defending Leo! And he's being nice to make you feel better! That has got to mean something!"  
Now, Donnie chuckled. He looked up and faced his brothers with a small smile on his face.  
"Much better!", Mikey said with a huge smile on his face.

Raph let go of his shoulder and now put both his hands on Don's shoulders: "We're on the same side on this one. We both need our freedom and our privacy. We both think we don't need help and we can take the world on by ourselves. But sometimes, it's nice if there's someone who's standing by your side to help you out if you need it. And yeah, sometimes even when you're able to do it by yourself. But what do you prefer? Someone who's there a little too often or someone who's never there at all?"  
Now, Donnie was smiling: "Where did you get such wise words?"  
Raph glanced at Mikey when he answered: "A very wise guy once told me that"  
Mikey started to blush a little when he heard this.

"So, does this mean we're cool again?", Mikey asked.  
"I guess", Donnie answered. Raph nodded and turned around so he could face Mikey again. As soon as he had done that, he gasped and looked at the door in horror.

When Mikey and Donnie also turned around, they saw Leo standing in the doorway with a small smile on his face: "Hi"  
Mikey gulped: "Hi… euhm… How long have you been standing there?"  
"Since you two walked in here", Leo answered with a grin.  
"Darn it!", Raph cursed.  
Leo chuckled and walked over to his brothers: "Look, I still wanted to apologize for being so protective. I never meant to do anything to upset you guys."

"We know, Leo.", Raph replied "And we appreciate everything you do for us. But if you could just drop it a level or two…"  
Leo nodded: "Okay, I'll try."  
Now, Raph smiled: "Good enough for me!"  
Before he could blink, Leo was stuck in a headlock under Raph's arm.

Everybody was laughing and having fun. That night, patrol was nothing but one big game.  
They were laughing, chasing each other,…  
And for once, Leo wasn't complaining about having to be silent. He had thought about saying it, of course. But he just couldn't bring himself to ruin this moment.  
Because for the first time in forever, they were acting like four regular guys.

**Author's note: Hi! Once again, late update. I know! Sorry! :( Homework, exams,… :P  
Anyway, there will be two more chapters. After that, something completely different!  
Check my profile to find out what's next! ;)  
Also, a little extra… There's a reference in here to a movie. Be the first one to find it and send it to me in a PM! I'll mention your name in the next chapter! :D **


	9. Back to normal

**Author's note: Hi! I know, late update. Sorry! Exams… :P Anyway, I promised I would give you the winner of my little 'contest', so I will.  
**_**Ducky Mikey, **_**congratulations! :D And now, on with the story! :) **

The next day, the lair was surprisingly calm. The guys were just sitting on the couch, watching tv and talking.  
When their father walked in, they turned the tv off and looked up so they could face him.  
Splinter looked to each one of his sons separately. When his gaze had reached Raph, he looked at his knee which still had a small scar on it.

"You never told me, Raphael", he said "how you got that scar."  
"I didn't?", Raph asked "Hmm, remind me to tell you sometime. Maybe in a couple of minutes… or years…"  
Splinter chuckled: "It's not my reaction you should be afraid of, Raphael. I know what has really happened that night. And most of your brothers know as well. But there is one person who you owe an explanation…" After saying this, he looked at Leo.

Leo looked confused, but once he saw the faces of his brothers he knew.  
"What is it, Raph?", he sighed "It weren't purple dragons, right?"  
Raph shook his head: "nope."  
"Then what was it that caused you that scar?", Leo stood in front of Raph by now.  
Raph kept his eyes on the floor and didn't dare to look Leo in the eyes.

"Mikey, I need your help in my lab with the… thing", Donnie said as he walked over to his lab. He would do anything to save his only little brother a lecture… or worse.  
"Sure thing, dude!", Mikey jumped over the couch and ran up to Donnie. Together, they stood right behind the door of the lab, so they could still hear what was going on in there.

In the meantime, Raph had started doubting. _Tell another lie?_, he thought _No, Sensei will see straight through that. And he says he knows what happened… _  
Finally, Raph dared to look Leo in the eyes: "You'll want to kill me when I tell you."  
Leo shrugged: "If that's your only concern, why only tell me now? You're not afraid of anything!"  
"But I AM afraid, Leo.", Raph replied.  
Splinter walked back to his room with a smile on his face. _Now, it's up to him_.

Donnie and Mikey looked at each other. "What's Raph's fear?", Mikey asked. Donnie pulled his shoulders up and motioned Mikey to stay silent.

"So, what are you afraid of? Except for bugs, of course", Leo said with a grin.  
Raph ignored the last part and continued: "When I went to search for Mikey, I was afraid that I wouldn't be in time. That something terrible had happened to him. That I would've been too late. I would do anything to protect our younger brothers, Leo. Anything."  
Leo nodded every few seconds to show he still understood.  
"So, when we were on our way back home, I fell while running in the sewers. It was just a scratch. But then I thought of this plan to keep Mikey out of trouble and to make you believe I had done something stupid. So Mikey would get out without any trouble…"

Leo smiled: "That's really sweet, man. But why tell Donnie?"  
"He just saw it when he was cleaning my knee. He's the genius for a reason."  
Leo nodded: "Don't worry. I'm not mad. But I would have preferred if you had told me before. But anyway… We're cool." Raph smiled: "Cool."  
After a knuckle-box, there was a small silence.

Then, Leo whispered: "we both know Don and Mike are eaves-dropping right behind the door, right?"  
Raph nodded: "let them believe we didn't notice. That way, the tv is all ours!"

And so the day continued. Leo and Raph watching sport while Donnie and Mikey were working on some experiments in Donnie's lab.  
Splinter was meditating in his room. When he was done, he went to have a look at his sons.  
When he saw them getting along perfectly, he smiled: "It's nice to see things are finally back to normal.".

**Author's note: Thanks for all the support! One more chapter to go, a sort of epilogue. And then, a series of one-shots. My idea is to continue where the episodes left off. More explanation on my profile page :)  
Any ideas are welcome! :D **


End file.
